Disposable, biodegradable, insole sock

ABSTRACT

The Disposable Insole Sock functions as a flat, soft, absorbent sock. Used for daily wear, it is disposable and biodegradable. It goes between the bottom of the bare foot and the insole of the shoe. It lightly and temporarily adheres to the insole of the shoe. The purpose is to provide flat socks that cover or partially cover only the insole of the shoe. The objective is to aesthetically and ornamentally provide the comfort and cleanliness of a sock worn on shoes with exposed insoles and to provide the comfort and cleanliness of a sock worn on shoes with unexposed insoles. The main components are 1) the soft, durable, absorbent paper; 2) the adhesive; and 3) the protecting peel away paper used only with packaging.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/137,266 filed 2008 Jul. 29 by the present inventor.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to shoe insoles, specifically to disposableinserts (Disposable Insole Socks) made of soft, absorbent paper whichprovides the means for biodegradability upon disposal.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Shoes or sandals worn without socks can cause feet to become dirty anddevelop an unpleasant odor. One solution to this problem has been shoeinsole coverings, ornamental and otherwise. These coverings have been ofa variety of shapes and materials including inexpensive, disposableinserts for more frequent use to enhance foot cleanliness and comfort.While many address the stated problems, none have the advantages of thepresent art that includes the combination of simplicity, ease of use,and biodegradability. Disposable, soft insoles (Disposable Insole Socks)can provide cleanliness and comfort.

The Disposable Insole Sock is a soft, durable, absorbent paper thatcovers the insole of a shoe or sandal. It is shaped similar to theinsole of the shoe. It has on the bottom side a light adhesive to enableit to temporarily adhere to the insole of the shoe. In addition, it maybe made in a variety of colors to blend aesthetically with the insole.The adhesive is to hold the Disposable Insole Sock in place on the shoeinsole while it is being worn. This insole may be constructed withperforations to allow for ease in adjusting the size to fit theindividual foot or shoe.

Several inventions include disposable inserts and insoles, but do notaddress environmental concerns and are structured of materials that arenot biodegradable:

U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,671 by Steed;

U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,844 by Janzen;

U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,667 b Klavano;

U.S. Patent Application 20070261274 by Fox;

U.S. Patent Application 20030084594 by Korn.

U.S. Patent Application 20050257398 by Blackmer contains biodegradablematerial, cotton cloth, but does not have the low cost advantage ofpaper as with the present art.

U.S. Patent Application 0040261294 by Kawata is for another insert thatis made of paper or nonwoven cloth but has a synthetic resin sheetcarrying designs and is positioned on top of the paper insert. Thepresent art would use paper already color dyed or pigmented without alayer that is not biodegradable.

-   -   Other disposable shoe inserts are structured with fastening        appendages attached to the simple insole shape.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,671 by Lhuillier

U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,055 by Connor

U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,643 B2 by Geer et al.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,734 B1 by Ou

U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,916 by Connor

No prior art was found that offers perforations for size adaptability asis offered with the present art.

Already on the market is a product called Summer Soles made from felt.This product is made of nonwoven material or felt and does not have thecost advantages of cellulose or plant based material. The pricing of theSummer Soles does not encourage changing the insert often as would aneconomical cellulose or paper based material of the present invention.

What is lacking is a fashionable insert made of biodegradable materialsthat would not cause environmental problems when disposed of and thatwould encourage frequent exchange of foot inserts to enhance footcomfort and cleanliness for those who do not wear socks. Ease of use isfacilitated through perforations outlining different shoe sizes allowingease in tearing or cutting the insert to the desired size. The bottom ofthe insert is temporarily adhered to the shoe insole and allows for easein exchanging inserts.

Accordingly, objects and advantages of the present invention relate toenvironmental friendliness, user comfort and cleanliness, and to userconvenience. The fact that the materials of the layers are biodegradableanswers any environmental concerns of a disposable product. The foot iskept cleaner if the insole coverings are changed often. The present art,made of disposable, biodegradable material encourages this exchange. Theperforations that outline the different sizes allow the wearer toconveniently tear or cut the insert to the correct size.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention a biodegradable, disposableshoe insert comprises an insole-shaped layer of cellulosic material togo against the wearer's foot. Repositionable adhesive on the bottomwould ensure the insole sock remains in place while being worn. TheDisposable Insole Sock is cut from soft, absorbent, paper that isdurable enough for wear and yet is biodegradable. It is temporarily wornbetween the foot and the insole of a shoe. It is held in place with lowtack adhesive, repositionable adhesive, or wax. Because of the adhesive,a thin paper protects the adhesive before the insole sock is worn. Whenthe insole sock is cut, all three layers (the soft, durable papercomprising the insole sock, the adhesive, and the protective paper) areall cut at the same time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is the paper layer placed on a sandal with an exposed insole.

FIG. 2 is the paper layer showing where perforations may be placed. InFIG. 2 the insole sock is placed on a sandal with an exposed insole.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a single layer insole sock as it is sold withprotective paper over adhesive.

FIG. 4 is the bottom view of the protective paper over the adhesivewithout perforations.

FIG. 5 is also the bottom view of the protective paper over theadhesive. However, the item in FIG. 5 is the bottom view showing whereperforations may be placed.

DRAWINGS Reference Numerals

10 paper layer 12 sandal with exposed insole 14 paper layer withperforations 16 adhesive 18 protective paper 20 protective paper withperforations

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Disposable Insole Sock 10 is made by either cutting soft, durable,absorbent paper in the shape of an insole or by casting. The cutting maybe done by hand held scissors or by a die cutting machine. The adhesive16 may be sprayed on or applied by machine to the soft, durable,absorbent paper 10 before a protective paper 18 is added and before theinsole socks are cut.

Ellmer's Craft Bond Multi-Purpose spray Adhesive serves as a temporarybond. Saturation paper S-20 sold by Buckeye Technologies in Memphis,Tenn. is an example of a soft absorbent paper.

The physical structure is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Soft, durable,absorbent paper is cut in the shape of shoe insole 10. One side willhave a light adhesive 16 on it to stick enough to be held in place andyet be removed easily. It will be sold with a throw away paper backing18, protecting the adhesive side of the Disposable Insole Sock.

The ability of paper to be printed with or dyed to different colors anddesigns would make the Disposable Insole Sock aesthetically pleasingwhen worn on shoes with exposed insoles. Paper can be made both soft forcomfort and durable enough to easily position the insole socks in shoeswith unexposed insoles.

The Disposable Insole Socks' construction material, soft durable paper,is made of plant material. Flax, linen, cotton, bamboo, and wood name afew of the plants that may be used. These plant sources of the papermaterial can be easily attained and are a renewable resource. Because ofthis, the construction costs can be kept low. Since the sources of thematerial are plants, biodegradability will be naturally attained. Thisis an important environmental benefit.

The insole sock may be perforated 14 to allow for ease in tearing orcutting it to the correct size. Most insoles have guiding size-lines onthe back for manual cutting to size. The perforations may be positionedwhere some of the cutting lines, showing size, are normally placed. Thiswould allow for tearing to the correct size when the use of scissors isnot convenient. The paper backing 20 could also be perforated so sizingcould be done before the paper backing is removed.

1. A disposable, biodegradable insole covering for daily wear in shoescomprising: a. a first layer of soft durable material made of organicpapermaking fibers; b. a repositionable adhesive applied to the bottomof said first layer; c. a removable paper protecting the adhesive duringpackaging.